"It is significant," he observed, "that during the first apparition to Bernadette Mary begins the encounter with the sign of the Cross," this is "an initiation into the mysteries of the faith that Bernadette receives from Mary. The sign of the Cross is a kind of synthesis of our faith, ... it tells us that there is a love in this world that is stronger than death. ... The power of love is stronger than the evil which threatens us. It is this mystery of the universality of God's love for men that Mary came to reveal here, in Lourdes."
"The Church has received the mission of showing all people this loving face of God, manifested in Jesus Christ. ... It is He Who will make us free to love as He loves us, and to build a reconciled world. For on this Cross, Jesus took upon Himself the weight of all the sufferings and injustices of our humanity. He bore the humiliation and the discrimination, the torture suffered in many parts of the world by so many of our brothers and sisters for love of Christ."
The celebration of the anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady in Lourdes, said the Holy Father, "urges us to embark upon a journey of faith and conversion. Today, Mary comes to meet us, so as to show us the way towards a renewal of life for our communities and for each one of us."
"Jesus, born of Mary, is the Son of God, the sole Savior of all people, living and acting in His Church and in the world. The Church is sent everywhere in the world to proclaim this unique message and to invite people to receive it through an authentic conversion of heart. This mission, entrusted by Jesus to His disciples, receives here, on the occasion of this Jubilee, a breath of new life."
Following the Jubilee Way in the footsteps of Bernadette, "we are reminded of the heart of the message of Lourdes. Bernadette is the eldest daughter of a very poor family, with neither knowledge nor power, and in poor health. Mary chose her to transmit her message of conversion, prayer and penance, which fully accord with words of Jesus: 'What you have hidden from the wise and understanding, you have revealed to babes'. ... It is therefore a genuine catechesis that is being proposed to us in this way, under Mary's gaze."
When the "beautiful lady" revealed her name to Bernadette - "I am the Immaculate Conception" - she disclosed "the extraordinary grace that she has received from God. ... Mary is the woman from this earth who gave herself totally to God, and who received the privilege of giving human life to His eternal Son."